On the Run
by ShadowpawMFur
Summary: After fleeing the village, Shadowpaw finds herself accompanying the most unexpected hedgehog on a seemingly endless journey. Will they reach their invisible goal, or will they find a dead end? [Sequel to 'A Bite for Freedom']
1. Silhouttes of Blood

**Okay, I've finally decided to upload it! YAY! (does happy dance) And only thirty minutes before the 31st...a Halloween gift, perhaps? (grins) I just couldn't stand not putting it up, and this was as good of an opportunity as ever. Hope ya like my continuation of 'A Bite for Freedom'!**

**_'On the Run'_**

**_Genres: Horror, Tragedy, Adventure/Action, Spiritual, Hurt/Comfort, Romance (eventually!), etc._**

**_Rated: 'M' for Violence, Suggestive Themes, Alcohol and Tobacco Use, Adult Content, Language, etc._**

**Chapter One**

_Silhouettes_ of **Blood**

_Her POV_

_(Dream)_

"_Daddy!" She screamed his name as they tried to drag her away. The small feline's black fur was matted in several places, and it looked unclean and in bad condition for a cat. The little girl had only just gotten over her mother's death, and now she was leaving the only place she could really call home. But she kicked and scratched with a vengeance, and she eventually broke free and ran back to her father. She clung to him, begging him with tears in her eyes, "Don't leave me, Daddy! Don't let them take me away!" He shook her off, but she continued to plead with wide, tearful eyes. She had known he had grown tired of her, after her mother had died, but she could still be useful! "Let me stay, Daddy! I'll do whatever you want, I won't complain!" She tried everything she could, staring up at those cold, heartless eyes. "I'll clean my room, and I'll wash your clothes, and I'll clean the floors, and I'll be nice to the strangers that visit your house –"_

"_Go and be something of use!" He spat. His eyes were harsh and uncaring as they stared down at her. She shivered as the gaze fell upon her small and frail form; it was as if all traces of her father had disappeared and left this stone mask to say good-bye to her. His voice held no love or care anymore. "All you're good for __**here **__is mistakes and crying! Now, off with yeh!"_

_By now, the people had gotten a hold of her and hauled her away, their grips now firm and unbreakable as she continued to scream, "I'll be a good girl, Daddy! I love you! Please don't leave me! I'll be good, Daddy! I'll be __**good!**__"_

_(End Dream)_

She lurched upright with a small gasp and opened her eyes only to be greeted by more darkness, and as she sat there blind and panted with terror clouding her senses she slowly figured out where she was and what had happened. She gave a miserable sigh as she lay back down, her yawn a sign of her body's protest to her sudden schedule change. She regretted the decision to finally fall asleep; for she had not slept for two entire _days _in fear of what could happen to her, where she spent the time in hiding thinking of her strange new life. She moved the blanket aside and crawled over to the curtain-covered window that painfully reminded her of a familiar setting from only a few nights ago. She took a finger and carefully lifted the cloth that blocked the light of the sun to let a sliver peep into the room, and she sighed once more and let it drop back to its place in front of the golden disc and its rays. The room became dark once more.

She sat down and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees and bowing her head into the cradle she made as if to hide from the world. She shut her eyes and focused her attention onto her breathing, as if to make sure it wouldn't suddenly stop sometime soon. The silence around her was unnerving, and so she tried to block it out with memories over the past few days.

They had escaped the village in the dead of the night, and since Shadowpaw had no place to go Shadow had offered to take her with him. She had no clue what she was going to do, and so she accepted and has been following him ever since. They've had to move during the dark hours, for _obvious_ reasons, and it was hard to stay up during the night where she usually slept unawares in her bed. Since her schedule was so _screwed_ _up_, she would sit all day when she should really be sleeping and think. She didn't want to; more than anything, she'd rather talk to the _vampire_, but she had no choice in the matter. She was starting to form bags under her eyes, which is why she finally succumbed to exhaustion that day, but she had, as she feared, had that same dream again.

It was always the same; her child-self being taken from her home, and her father not caring. In all reality, it wasn't a dream. It was a memory. A _nightmarish _memory, but a memory all the same. She barely knew her mother, so she could barely dream about her. And any other memory besides her family was filled with slavery. _Not _that many options. It seemed her subconscious wanted to dwell on that day, and so that was where her thoughts took her often.

Slightly frustrated with herself, she sat her head up and gave a small sigh. She glanced over the room, her eyes adjusting to the lack of light, and saw her companion against the other wall. He was in a sitting position as well, but he was asleep, with his white chest rising slowly and evenly. He had one knee drawn up to rest his hand on while his other arm lay in his lap, and she found it an _odd_ arrangement to fall asleep in. _She_ wouldn't have been able to manage something like _that_, or at least she _thought_. She might actually have to _try_ it, since he looked comfortable in it.

As she examined him, she enjoyed her senses to the fullest. _Vampires_ never ceased to _amaze_ her. It seemed that, when she had joined them, the world suddenly _burst_ open with new _smells_, new _colors_, and a totally _new_ perspective. She noticed that Shadow smelled like cinnamon, especially when he was angry, and her own scent reminded her of a strange thing she had heard, called a _coconut_. Also, whenever she looked at him, she noticed how there was something…hovering over him, like the atmosphere just wasn't _right_ around him. Like he had a dark aura or something. It differed from the others they passed in the streets on rare occasions, whose appearance was colorful and vibrant. His, and probably hers as well, were mostly a dark grey or black, only showing colors in flashes, and they reacted towards mostly their strongest emotions; anger and fear. At least, that was all _she _had seen so far of the aura stuff; she was kind of new to the whole thing, after all.

She may have had good senses of smell and such before, being a feline of course, but now it was as if she was sent to a completely new world with different sights and sounds that wouldn't stop astounding her. She marveled and wondered if this was what vampires _always _saw the world as; so _vibrant_, so _intriguing_, so full of _life_. She had never seen the night like this before; it had always been so _dark, dreary _and _desolate _compared to the kingdom under the sun. And _yet_…she was like a kitten with a ball of yarn as she wondered, in awe, of how her new life would be like. It made her feel like a little kid still exploring the world, something that sometimes irritated her hedgehog companion.

She mentally scowled, her mind going over the last few days with her _guide_. He had been a bit of a bloody _prick_. When they walked around, she would try to ask him questions about his life, not only as a _vampire, _but _before_ that. And, depending on his mood, he would do several different things, none of which included answering her directly.

One: He would remain silent, and she would eventually abandon her attempts at conversation.

Two: He would give her some snide remark that made her blood boil and caused her to fall silent as she fumed.

Or…

Three: He would give her the vaguest answer possible and avoid any other questions by inquiring about herself.

Now, that last one was something she was slightly satisfied with. At least he was _trying _to be social. She told him as much as she was comfortable with; any areas pertaining to her life with her family and her _owner_ were evaded with graceful words and phrases that clearly stated _I don't want to talk about it._ And he seemed smart enough to understand that, for he ceased any further attempts to delve into the subject, and she had to be appreciative of that. She just wished he would stop being an _asshole_ during the rest of the time they spent together.

"Bloody prick…" She muttered under her breath as she closed her eyes and sighed again, wondering if she could go back to sleep without dreaming.

_His POV_

He would have laughed at her statement if he wasn't trying to look like he was asleep. He would have thought that, with her _newly _acquired senses, that she would have heard how his breathing was quicker than when he was sleeping. Obviously, she wasn't _that_ skilled, and so he was thankful. He could take the opportunity to study her; her scent, her voice, and the sensations she unknowingly emitted. He could basically read her thoughts, to put it one way. At the moment, she was a bit irked, and he could guess who it was towards.

_Prick? Bloody prick? _'Is that a pun?'Giving a discreet smirk, he opened an eye enough so that he could see her with her knees up to her chest and her head bowed so she couldn't see him watching her. She was deep in thought, so she didn't notice when he shifted to get a bit more comfortable. He then proceeded to open his other eye so that he could look at her better, his curiosity for the feline growing every passing day and night he spent with her.

First off, she wasn't what he expected her to be; she had been a slave since her childhood, and yet she was as, or _more,_ talkative and _annoying _than anyone he had ever met. Since she wouldn't say anything more of her family and such, he didn't bother trying to extract the information and left the subject be, for now. Instead, he had spent his time listening to her talk of her likes and dislikes, favorite activities, preferred genre of music, and her views on several subjects. He dwelled on such occasions where he actually followed along with her, finding her words intelligent despite his earlier beliefs.

_(Flashback)_

"_I mean, females aren't weaker than males!" She crossed her arms as they walked on the forgotten dirt road, them being the only travelers using it at this time of night. That was why they were taking it, slowly making their progress down the road side-by-side._

"_Really?" He did try to egg her on, and a smirk appeared briefly on his face seeing his success. He watched in satisfaction as her eyes narrowed at him and her voice turned strangely calm. "Yes, __**really**__."_

"_And why do you say that?"_

"_**First of all**__," she held up one finger as if to emphasize the fact that that was only the first reason, "if __**we **__weren't around to keep you __**men **__in order, all hell would break loose and you would all somehow kill yourselves."_

"_But that's negotiation, not strength."_

"_Not __**all **__strengths are physical." She said it so firmly that he actually turned his head to stare at her with one eyebrow quirked. She just stared back at him, all the seriousness in the world showing on her face. She explained, "If someone is the 'strongman' but is dumber than rocks, they won't have an advantage over anyone. At the same time, you can be the brightest nerd in the world and you can't do a thing 'cause you're pathetic. You have to have __**intellect**__, as __**well**__ as power."_

_As she let those words sink in, he asked her, "And what does that have to do with anything?"_

"_**Because**__, you __**men **__seem to always be 'brawn over brains'!" The bigot mind against males came back to the feline as she continued her explanation on her side of the sexist debate. "You're always running around, puffing out your chest and yelling at the top of your lungs like some crazed roosters or whatever, and us __**woman **__have to clean up after you!" She continued to vent for a while, saying every comment known to man and maybe a few known to Mother Nature herself about how bad the __**male species**__ was. The entire time, Shadow just stared at her with a fixed gaze, never saying a word as she ranted on and on about the faults of men. When she was finally done, a silence fell between them, and grew until it became uncomfortable and made her glance at him again. He ignored her, instead deciding to gaze upon the moon. _

_It was a waning crescent; the hook-like shape of its nature was like a sickle in the sky, ready to reap the many crops of stars that twinkled in the night. He watched the clouds partially cover it, putting the lands below into semi-darkness for a few minutes and reducing his glowing blood eyes to a small flicker in the night. He saw her shiver in his peripheral vision, and he smirked to himself before turning to her._

"_Not all men are the same, you know."_

_He watched as she blinked slowly, as if she hadn't mentally been with him until he had said something. She looked at him in confusion and said all intelligently, "Huh?" He smirked again, showing off his fangs to her as the moon came back out of its hiding place to reflect off of the pearly whites. She twitched slightly at the sight, but otherwise she was expecting an answer from him. And so, he gave it to her. "You can't expect all men to act the same." He smirked at some thought, his gaze trailing to the path before them. "Otherwise, they'll surprise you."_

"_They already have…" He glanced at her curiously, but her eyes were on her feet, effectively avoiding his as the silence returned, a bit more awkward than the last. Her words still hung in the air, confusing him to no end as he pondered them quietly. 'What does she mean by that?' He wondered, watching as she walked beside him. 'Does she mean me? Or…does she mean her owner?'_

_(End Flashback)_

He was still puzzled, even as the feline sat before him quietly, for _once_. It was peculiar to hear her quiet, even though it was only because she thought he was asleep, and he wondered how she could have survived being a slave with such a big mouth. Of course, considering the scars on her back, it was also surprising that she didn't kill herself beforehand. He could also see some scratches on her arm and legs that didn't look quite like they were caused naturally. 'He was a cruel owner, indeed…'

"You can stop staring at me now."

He blinked once, only showing his confusion for a moment, before he returned to his normal façade and just gave a wry smirk. "You're getting the hang of it."

_Her POV_

She looked up to glare at her _companion _as he shifted. He moved from his position to an even more relaxed one, with his arms crossed over his chest and both legs stretched before him, his back against the wall. He glanced over her as casually as he could muster, although she could feel his curiosity. He was right, she _was _getting better; his movements were a bit more obvious, and she could actually sense the thought behind that indifferent mask. She grinned slightly at her accomplishment, but then it disappeared as she thought of how long he could have been awake previously. Immediately sobered, she huffed and looked away, resorting to glaring at a wall to unleash her frustration.

"It takes time," he answered her anger with advice that she _really_ _didn't_ want to hear. She grunted, not bothering to glance over at him, but her ear twitched when he sighed and ceased further conversation. Satisfied, she returned her attention to the wall in an attempt to avoid her thoughts. She could hear the warning of an oncoming storm, before little patters on the window signaled it had started raining. Thank _God _they had found good shelter.

'That crack crawls up the wall like a lightning bolt,' she noted absentmindedly, 'it reminds me of those huge lightning storms back at that village.' She didn't dare say _home_, because then she wouldn't know where she was talking about; she had no home. 'Those huge storms were always calming, as long as you're inside; just listen to the rain pouring down upon the roof. _Drip, drip, drip, _like teardrops from heaven that are on pilgrimage to the earth.' The corners of her mouth twitched slightly at the poetic insight she had, and she wondered, 'Maybe I should write a book. Yeah, sure,' she rolled her eyes. 'I should write a novel about my life and let thousands and thousands of people read it and laugh. No,' she shook her head. 'That's something for people who get by on that kind of stuff. I'm not one for social acceptance.' She gave a small, dry laugh at the thought. 'Like they would; they would probably be disgusted with me, a _vampire_. Just like father…'

Her gaze hardened slightly at the thought, and she tried desperately to go back to the crack in the wall. But her _father _already had an iron grip on her thoughts, and he _wasn't_ going to leave soon. _Damn emotions. _She gave a small sigh, giving up her futile efforts, and just listened to her and her companion's breathing.

_Breathe in. _

_Breathe out. _

_Breathe in… _

_Breathe out… _

_Breathe…in…_

She sighed again and lowered her gaze to the floor. 'Why does it still hurt? After all of these years? It's been _ages_ since…' She stopped herself from thinking it, refusing to say it even to herself. She shook her head gently to try to shake away her past, but it didn't work. Getting a bit frustrated with her _damned emotions,_ she twitched her ear in annoyance and looked up at the dark curtains that stood between her and the daytime. They were velvety and looked fit to guard a king from the sun, and their dark royal purple did the job intended. Only a faint glow could alert them that the day still went on without them, rain or no rain.

_It wouldn't be good to have a breakdown here, _she kept telling herself. She had promised that she _would not _cry.

'Then again,' she grimaced, remembering the night she had left that house, 'that can't exactly be avoided now.' She felt ashamed that she had been broken so easily with just a few, simple words. _"I'm too tired to do anything tonight, but tomorrow…" _She shivered at the thought of those words, which only made her feel even poorer. The fact that the _vampire, Shadow,_ had been the sole witness of the event made it all the worse. To think that she had begged a complete stranger, one that was going to _kill_ her, and ultimately acted like a _baby_ dug the pit of shame deeper into her soul.

_Smooth, idiot._

'I feel so helpless,' she thought to herself as her heart clenched in sorrow, and she kept her eyes closed so as to not meet the vampire'sgaze. 'Why can't I ever protect myself?'

_His POV_

He watched her aura closely, examining the way it flashed with many different colors, showing him her emotions. Although she was inexperienced in concealing such thoughts, he had only just met her, and so he had to adjust to her like one did with the climate. Slowly, he was able to make out pain in the way her head hung, her hand slipping down to clutch her side as discreetly as possible. He could feel it, but he wasn't exactly sure what had caused it.

It couldn't be her wounds, for they had healed considerably fast and were rather well, and they hadn't been bothering her recently. He _had _noticed she had a bruised rib or two, but she had never complained about it. So, he focused on sorting out her feelings that tumbled and churned in her wake.

Something hovered over her, dark in nature. As if she felt that she was being watched by someone…undesirable. Slowly, he made out the colors. _The color of the sea, blood, emeralds, and darkness…_ 'Hatred?'

He wondered briefly if it was directed towards him, but his recent experiences with her told him that if she had a problem with him, he would know. She would have been sure to tell him so. 'Then what is it? Feelings so negative…guilt?' He shook his head. 'No, not guilt; shame. Disappointment. Sadness.' He watched as she sighed wistfully, and he frowned and wondered what she was thinking of. _To sigh like that, with such hurt and remorse…_ 'What troubles her?'

"Where does the rain come from?"

The question was so sudden, and _odd_, that it left Shadow with no words to say. His mouth was shut tightly in surprise, but he only let that stop him for a moment. Then, he answered her question with one of his own. "What are you talking about?" Her words didn't make sense to him. "It comes down from the clouds." He looked at her skeptically. "Surely you realize how stupid that sounds."

He expected her to snap at him, telling him once again to _bite her_, but instead she turned her head to stare at his face. Her eyes were duller, like a belt buckle that had lost its shine, and her mouth looked as if it was set in stone with a small frown that showed she was displeased by his answer. She repeated her words quietly, "Where does the rain come from?" Whatever it was she was asking from him, he wouldn't learn it from her.

He sat there, wondering for a while of how he should answer her:

One: Repeat the answer until it drills into that thick skull!

Or Two: Try to figure it out _her _way.

Finally, after a long silence fell between them, he sighed in defeat and reluctantly asked her, "Where do _you _think it comes from?"

This seemed to please her, for a small flicker of triumph lived in her aura; a flash of sunlight that didn't burn him brightened her eyes momentarily, before they returned to their dull, lackluster appearance, her aura filled with blues and reds. Something dark still weighed on her shoulders, making them slump slightly as he awaited her answer.

"Do you think," she began, but she stopped to inhale sharply and wince with pain, her aura flickering with several colors like blue and black – regret, grief, and shame. He let her catch her breath for a few moments, positive that this was another one of those rare times that he wanted to actually _listen_ to what came from her mouth. It was very few and far in-between for times that he had been so curious, and so it would only be natural to quench this curiosity before it became a nuisance. It was quiet except for their breathing, hers slightly ragged as she tried to regain her composure. She eventually got herself under control, with only a little pain leaking into her aura with a dark, sinister red trickle. She returned her attention to the hedgehog who had waited, cleared her throat, and continued.

"Do you think that, maybe, the rain comes from the angels?" She said it so seriously, it couldn't have been a joke. He frowned at the question, though, contemplating where she had gotten such a notion. He asked her doubtfully, "The angels?" As _pretty _as it sounded, it was highly unlikely.

She nodded, firmly staring at him as she went on, "Whenever it rains, is it because the archangels watching us in Heaven see the Earth below them and cry?" She paused for a moment, as if wanting to see his reaction before she carried on. She received none. "Do they see all of the torture and lies, the hate and deception, and feel pity and sorrow towards us, and the rain is a sign of it?" She lowered her head slightly, her eyes leaving his as she looked at the floor before her. "Do our ancestors look at us and wonder how the world has changed us so? Do our parents watch us from among the stars, and weep?"

Finally, he realized what she was implying. He looked away from her as he thought, not saying a word. She had never talked about _both_ of her parents whenever she _had _talked about her family. It was always about her father; _her father_ did this, _her father_ killed that, _her father _hated everything, _her father_ loved nothing. Nothing about her mother. He had assumed that something had happened to her, and so he didn't press the subject. That was probably who she was referring to. After all, it couldn't _possibly _be her father; she had suspected he had died long ago, for she recalled hearing news of several houses in the village near her old house burning down with no survivors left, and there would be _no way_ that he would be caring towards his daughter, let alone up in _Heaven_. If there _really _was such a place.

He decided to approach the subject directly this time. "So, what you are saying," he started, "is that the angels above us feel sorry for us and hope that their tears will wash our pain away." _Hey, not exactly the same, but more poetic._ He watched her aura carefully, sensing her contemplation and consideration. It seemed that he had chosen the right words, for after a while, she nodded to show she approved and answered him with a short, "Yes."

_Great, now _she's _being blunt._ He nearly rolled his eyes at the way she acted just like he had earlier, but he knew that would be taken the wrong way by her. Instead, he continued to stare at her for a while, letting his eyes travel along her aura and, _maybe_, her body. She still wore the ragged clothes from her owner, for he had forgotten that she would need anything else, but from what he had heard that was all she had, anyway. Her right sleeve seemed to be completely ripped up, tatters of what used to be fairly sturdy material. Whatever injury had resulted in that was gone, leaving her fairly night-shaded fur unblemished until a little under her elbow, where there were several rope burns and scars. Her pants were also a bit torn, with a fist-sized hole on one of the knees while the other held only a slash.

_What the __**hell **_did_ she__harvest with?_

Shaking his head slightly, he watched her aura turn a bit pink with what he thought was embarrassment as he realized he had, indeed, been staring. 'Bloody hell…' He scolded himself for lingering on the clothing around her hips as he told the feline, "We need to get you new clothes; you can't go running around in that." Silently to himself, he added, 'It's indecent, and it doesn't have much protection from the wind. She would freeze to death in the wintertime.'

She scoffed at him and crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. "Well, _sorry_, but I was _forced _to wear this! And it's not like I _have _any money to buy anything _else _with, _anyways!_" She gave him a small 'hmph' of indignation and looked away, grumbling to herself, "Stupid hedgehog, with his roaming eyes and _Mr. Obvious_ moments…" She continued to gripe as he shook his head and gave a sigh. Why had he done this again? _Oh, yeah. 'Can't leave the poor girl here – she has nothing left now.' Nice going, idiot. __**Now **__look at what you've gotten yourself into! You've gained a ward!_

"It's not like I was telling _you _to go out and buy it."

_Her POV_

She stopped her dark plotting she had begun under her breath (_"…take a lobster and hide it under his pillow or something…"_) when he said that. She looked at him, surprise showing on both her face and aura. "Wha?" She blinked, her eyes wide with confusion as she stared at him. 'What did he just say? I must have not heard him correctly…'

"I'm not telling you to go out and buy it."

'Uh, no. I _was _hearing him right.' She frowned, the easiest gesture to put across her face in this situation. "What do you mean, 'not me'? Who's going to buy it, then?" She suddenly bristled and asked him accusingly, "We're not going to _steal _anything, are we?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes at her claim and replied coolly, "_No. _I do not _steal._"

"Other than blood…" She muttered, not really expecting him to hear. But, he _did _have _super senses,_ after all, as he showed when his aura flashed a bit red and his eyes glared at her. She ignored the signs of his anger, instead thinking to herself, until he spoke up. "You shouldn't make such remarks unless you are dishonest to yourself, _feline._" That comment seemed to have angered him. "Or did you forget that night?"

She looked away from him, not wanting to look at his angry blood-red orbs. In here, away from the public's eye, he could reveal his true identity. He could snarl at her with his fangs, or whisper an animalistic hiss towards her, or glare at her with his intense eyes. He only chose the latter, but that was enough to make her fall silent. Cinnamon washed over her in a wave, and she couldn't help but inhale it as it wrapped around her. Her own coconut was overwhelmed in the assault of scents, and all she could sense was the hedgehog and his harsh anger towards her. She had said the wrong thing.

"I did not." She lowered her head, remembering how she had pleaded Shadow for help. She had _groveled _before him, and this was what he had gotten in return. A hot-tempered, annoying, stubborn feline who probably got on his nerves on a daily – err, _nightly_ – basis. This was what kindness had brought him from the world that wished to end his existence, and she had just spat in his face.

A strange pang in her heart came to her, and she covered it with her hand and closed her eyes. She had felt that same feeling back then, when her mother had been on her deathbed – regret, guilt. She had been unable to do anything to help her mother; she could only sit and watch as she shriveled up before her eyes, and her little teary amber orbs had witnessed the cremation ceremony after her soul departed.

She had let her die.

Shaking her head from the thought, she opened her eyes and looked up to find Shadow's eyes on her again. _Damn, talk about ogling. _'What is _he_ staring at?' She was going to say something along the lines of _stop staring at me, lecher_ but that might not have gone so well. She doubted he would have let that insult go by. Besides, the new guilt growing in her chest wouldn't let her clutch her skin any tighter without tearing it to ribbons, and so she gave a sigh and turned to face him fully. Eyeing him closely so she could witness his reaction, she asked him calmly, "What will we do, then?"

He seemed to consider her for a moment, staring at her as if to read her thoughts. Although she had an aura, she doubted he could actually tell what she was thinking. Emotions and thoughts were two different things, even though they twisted together like Fate and Time. At least, she hoped not. It wouldn't be good to have him know how nervous she actually was and that she felt guilty. _Oh, so __**now **__you want to feel sorry?_ She just hoped he wouldn't ignore her and refuse to talk for the rest of the night. After all, she _had _gotten progress by asking him questions. It would suck if she'd just taken five steps backwards from where she started.

Then, Shadow shifted a little as if he had started getting uncomfortable, and he answered, "Dusk isn't for another few hours. Go to sleep, and we'll see what the night brings us." He then moved so his leg was once again up while his other laid straight, his hand lying on the bent knee as he returned to his earlier position. He got _comfy_ and closed his eyes, as if to go to sleep.

Shadowpaw stared at him for a moment more, unsure of where she stood after this. He had seemed strangely calm, yet irritated, after all of her insults, and it was a bit unsettling to see no anger in his aura any longer. Even the scent of cinnamon had all but disappeared. 'Maybe he's masking it so I can't tell how angry he really is.' After all, it wouldn't be good to show any weaknesses, even to her. Who knows that she wouldn't turn on him as soon as look at him? He was being cautious. That's it. Caution.

It didn't even come to her mind that he wasn't actually angry. She didn't even think of the possibility that maybe he had been offering to get her clothes. There was no _way_ Shadow would do anything like _that_…

Right?

After she took his advice and laid back down to go to sleep, she realized something. She had just called the hedgehog by his name several times in her mind, and she hadn't even noticed that she hadn't stressed the word _vampire_ for a while now. In fact, she was referring to him as if he was a regular mortal creature.

Was that bite affecting her _more_ than just a simple vampire-transformation?


	2. Phantom in the Dark

**Sorry for being so late! (bows) I've been busy trying to help DL with her damn math...which makes no sense. Why should I help her in school?!? Feh...stupid humans... (grumble grumble)_  
_**

**_'On the Run'_**

**_Genres: Horror, Tragedy, Adventure/Action, Spiritual, Hurt/Comfort, Romance (eventually!), etc._**

**_Rated: 'M' for Violence, Suggestive Themes, Alcohol and Tobacco Use, Adult Content, Language, etc._**

**Chapter Two**

_Phantom_ **in** the Dark

_His POV_

The sun had only just started to sink below the horizon, and yet he was still awake. He had stayed awake way past the time she had fallen back asleep to dream of whatever feline's dreamt of. The varying colors in her aura gave him the vaguest of ideas of what she felt, with it going from a yellowy happiness to a periwinkle of contentment to a grey isolation, which nearly made him jump up and kick her just to stop all of the emotions. Since she had no real training in subduing her emotions as a vampire, they went out of her control when she slipped into her subconscious mind, and as a result all of her true feelings were left out in the open for anyone who could sense it to pick up.

Like Shadow.

'Bloody hell…' He had to scoot away from her just to release himself from some of the pressure of her aura. It seemed to try to follow him, however, and he cursed the feline as he inched away farther and farther to keep away from the tendrils of darkness. It was funny how only vampires and other such creatures could sense or see auras in any way, shape, or form. It was rumored, though, that some mortals could see it in different ways, like a feline sees wisps of the aura and bats hear it moving and struggling with the air around it. He wondered if Shadowpaw had ever seen auras before in that way, but he wasn't going to ask. It was a trivial matter and unimportant at the moment.

'Bloody hell!' He growled slightly as a strand of the aura hooked itself on his foot. 'She's out of control!'

"Shadowpaw!"

Her aura shifted around her, showing she had heard him, but she only groaned and rolled over so her back was facing him as the tendril continued to wrap itself around his leg. He snarled at the tendril and smacked it away, but like smoke it just reformed and carried on with its travel upwards. His aura, however, was combating it, and it went no farther than his knee before sparks started to fly between the two clashing atmospheres. Eventually, it backed off and left him alone to gather around Shadowpaw as she mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over once more.

He sighed and dusted off his leg, but his gaze traveled over to the slumbering feline. She now laid facing towards him, her arms wrapped around herself in an effort to keep warm. Her feet were slightly tucked in, as if she was going to sit on her legs when she got up. The sleeve that was only tatters barely hung onto her shoulder, while the other side had dropped down to rest right below the shoulder, threatening to fall further if she moved. Her pants had slipped down as well, barely resting on her hips to let her feet be engulfed by the material's legs. Her tail was really the only thing that kept them on, the hole it came out of the only anchor for the clothing. They _really_ needed to get her new clothes…

He scowled and looked away from her to adjust his gloves. 'Bloody hell, stop watching the damn girl sleep! She won't run off into the night.' He shook his head and grumbled dark things to himself, but he stopped and held his breath when she made a grunting noise and stretched out. She really was a feline, her arms way over her head and her legs straightening out in her stretch. Then, the cold seemed to invade her while she was vulnerable, and she shivered and rolled up into a ball to keep what little warmth she had. A small whimper escaped from her lips as she slipped back to a deep catnap.

He sighed, and, reasoning to himself that he would go no peace otherwise, he walked over to the bed and jerked the sheets off. He silently laid the blanket over the feline, and watched with satisfaction as she sighed happily and clutched the fabric as if it was her lifeline. Content, he returned to his spot against the wall, getting in the position the feline had been in before with his legs to his chest and arms crossed to rest on his knees, and went back to his thoughts. As much as he disliked it, however, they revolved around his new companion.

'Shadowpaw, was it?' He cocked his head a little to the side, thinking. His eyes strayed over to her involuntarily, and he gave a deep sigh as he watched her sleep. 'What am I to do with her? I've brought her along to get her far away from the village, to ensure her safety and wellbeing. But, now we are far away from her owner, and yet she is still with me.' This brought a frown upon his handsome face. 'I could always give her some money and cut her loose; I wouldn't have to deal with her nonsense.'

But, as all people who talk to themselves know, there is a side that answers back.

_Leave her alone with winter fast approaching?_ He gave a soft groan. Being a vampire had its downsides; it came with a sort of split personality. Or, in Shadow's case, another annoying conscience. _She wouldn't last two nights without our help. She's inexperienced in the world and has a knack for running her mouth. Do you really want __**that**__to be let out into the world on its own?_

'I don't see why not,' he countered irritably. He _hated _having to deal with this other side of him. 'She needs to learn how to survive without a safety net. _I_ did, and do you see how alive I am?'

_Well, as alive as a vampire __**can **__be._

'Touché…'

_But, do you __**really**__ think she can handle things on her own? I mean, look at the state she's in!_ He didn't need any prompting, but he could see it all the same. _She __**begged**__ to die before. Who's to say she won't do it again?_

Reluctantly, he agreed. He didn't like the idea of her being cornered by an angry mob, or worse. She wasn't exactly a master of her abilities yet.

_Besides, you __**know**__ she's rather nice to have around. Personally, __**I **__wouldn't mind having her by our side._ It tried to entice him by presenting images of her in a velvety dress the color of fresh blood, like a second skin that clung to her curves nicely, as she licked the tips of her fangs and –

'_No!_' He shook his head to knock out the images. He scowled at his _conscience_. 'Bloody hell, I have a perverted angel sitting on my shoulder telling me what to do and what not to do.' He rolled his eyes. 'How messed up _can _the world get?'

_I __**do**__believe you already know the answer to that question. _He just sighed and ignored it as he relaxed against the wall and closed his eyes. He figured that if he ignored it, it would leave him alone. Eventually, it did just that, throwing its proverbial hands into the air and walking off, showing it had given up. As it sunk into the darker pits of his mind, his eye cracked open to look at Shadowpaw again. She looked peaceful enough, her side rising and falling as she inhaled and exhaled deeply; she didn't seem to be having another nightmare. Frowning, he let his eyes close again as he pondered what could have possibly scared the feline so much to wake _him_.

_Her POV_

When she finally woke up, she lazily sat up and rubbed her eyes, dimly aware of the sheet that slipped off of her. She couldn't remember her dream this time, but she did sense something strange as she slept. She could have sworn there was something that had been very close by, but after a while it had disappeared. Puzzled, she slowly opened her eyes to gaze across the blackness of the room. The curtains were open and the window was up, letting in a cold breeze that made goosebumps crawl up her skin as she stood up. She looked around, but even when her eyes fully adjusted (taking less time then they would normally) she couldn't see her companion. Frowning, she silently stalked to the window and peeked out.

The town was so quiet, it was eerie, and the shadows seemed to devour the houses. Still shivering, she hugged herself to try to keep warm as she walked away from the open window. It was _odd _looking at the nearly bare streets, as if it was a ghost town. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she sat on the neglected bed to gather her thoughts.

'Where's Shadow?' She used her new abilities to try to find him, but the auras of the sleeping villagers interfered with her search, and she gave up. She just couldn't discern the differences between individual people yet. _He _probably could. She scowled. 'Bloody hedgehog thinks he's _so good_…he's a freakin' jackass…'

_No, he's not._

She blinked. 'Wha? What was…'

_Honey, I'm your conscious. Well, your newly appointed one, anyways._

'…_What?_'

_Bloody hell, I've got an idiot…okay, listen: I'm sort of like your 'inner vampire' talking to you. Following me?_

'…Sure…'

_Good. Now, as I said earlier, he's __**not **__a jackass. And you know it._

She scowled. 'What the hell do _you _know? He _is _a jackass!' She crossed her arms and scoffed. 'I mean, he's all silent whenever I try to talk to him, and then he starts being a bloody _prick_ when I ask a question, and…and…_ugh!_'

_Ha, it's funny when you're trying to talk bad about a hot guy._ The voice laughed as Shadowpaw nearly blanched. The feline just blinked as it continued, _I mean, come on, there's really nothing wrong with him. After all, he __**did **__talk to you before. You just seem to disregard that. __**And**__ he __**did**__answer a question seriously; he didn't laugh at that 'angel tears' crap._

'_Hey! _That wasn't crap!'

_Face it, sweetie, that's little kid stuff. A seven-year-old would laugh at you._

'No, it's not!' She glared at the wall across from her. 'My mother told me that.'

_And you seem to forget she's dead. _It sighed at her as it seemed to feel the pain that started to bubble up in her chest. _Look, you need to move on; if you don't, you'll always be dwelling on the past, and you'll never get to your future. There are times when you have to…grow up._

'I know…' She gave a weary sigh. 'I really do. But…I don't _want _to. What I would give to be three again; no cares, no worries…always a warm plate of dinner in front of you…'

_Well, your not three anymore. Deal with it._ Shadowpaw growled aloud at it, but stopped when a presence made itself known. She looked towards the window just as Shadow appeared in front of it. He looked at her, his blood red eyes glinting in the moonlight, and walked over to stand beside the bed as she noticed something in his hands. He dropped the pile of clothes onto the bed with a short, "Here."

She was silent as she stared at the pile in surprise, but his chuckle snapped her out of her reverie. She looked up to see him smirking at her, and he said, "Let me guess; you've just met your _conscience_." The way he said it, it seemed to be a rather funny event.

She frowned. She didn't think it was that funny. "How'd you know?"

"Your aura says it all." He half-shrugged as he stepped back a few feet and turned around to let her change. "I could feel your frustration from halfway across the town."

"Prick," she grumbled as she got up from the bed and picked up the clothes, holding them out to look at them. There was a pair of red pants with extra pockets on the lower portions of the legs and the backside, a red shawl that draped over both shoulders, and a black and red shirt. Frowning slightly, she quickly switched outfits, and she looked down at herself only to realize that the pants were the same color as his eyes.

'Figures he'd pick out _his _colors…'

_Hey, at least he didn't pick out __**underwear**_ She agreed silently as she looked over her new outfit. The shirt wasn't an exact fit, but she wasn't complaining; she'd rather have it a little baggy than super tight, anyways. She didn't like when he turned around to see that his eyes went up and down at her, but she waved it off as him seeing his handiwork as she gave a short, "Thanks."

He just nodded, tearing his eyes away from her to go to the door, his aura eerily expressionless. She followed quietly, wondering once again where he had gotten the clothes. 'Did he – no,' she shook her head, 'he told me he didn't steal, and he seemed honest enough. So, does that mean he bought it?' She didn't like that. She had _never _had anyone buy her anything, mostly because of the fact that she never_got _anything. So, she felt a bit weird wearing clothes he used his own money to get. 'Where'd he get the money?' So many questions, she had to push them aside to speed up her pace so that she was beside the hedgehog as he left the building. She didn't like the idea of falling behind and getting lost in a creepy town like this.

_His POV_

They had been walking for a while now, getting closer to the edge of town where very few people lived, and Shadow looked at the feline beside him again and sighed. "Are you going to stop fidgeting anytime soon?" She had been doing odd things for a while now, and it was starting to irritate him. If she didn't stop soon, he was going to strangle her until she did.

She gulped once, her aura filled with green uncertainty, and she asked, "Don't you feel…" She couldn't seem to find the right word. "…Odd?"

"No." In fact, he felt perfectly normal; there was no breeze, the air was cool, the night was dark; he was perfectly at home. Intrigued by her strange question, though, he inquired, "What do you mean, _odd?_"

"Well…" She seemed a bit uneasy, as if she had eaten something bad that quarreled with her stomach. "I can't help but feel like…" She gave a quick glance around at the empty street. "…like I'm being watched."

He shrugged, not knowing how to help her. He really didn't feel the same as she did. "How can you be? There's no one else here, and _I'm _not staring at you." He inwardly smirked as she scowled at him, but he was interested when she brought her arms around her to hug herself in another attempt to keep warm. Even with her shawl, she seemed to be cold. 'Why? It isn't _that _cold out.' She shivered, and he brushed it off as her not being used to the night air yet as he returned his attention to the road they traveled on. The sooner they got the village behind them, the better.

It was only when she shivered for the twentieth time that he turned to her again and asked, "Are you cold?"

Her aura oozed to a faint pink as she looked away to hide her blush. Or maybe the cold was getting to her face? She gulped again. "It's not that the night that's cold…but…" She shivered. _Again._ "It's as if someone's touching me with a hand they just took out of a freezing lake." She looked around again, her aura returning to its green shade as her nervousness began to get to him. What was she so nervous about? And _why _did she keep looking for something?

Shadow stopped walking. The feline halted as well, looking at him curiously. He turned to face her and spoke calmly, "Something is irritating you. Explain."_Short, sweet, and to the point._ She stared at him for a moment, uneasiness evident in her face as well as aura, before she looked away and rubbed her arm nervously. He nearly sighed in exasperation at her behavior. _What, does she think someone's following us or something? She's such a child…_

He was about to demand an answer out of her when, suddenly, a chill passed down his spine. He froze. It was as if someone had just run their fingers down his back, their touch like ice water dripping across his skin. At the same time, Shadowpaw gasped in sharply, signaling she had experienced something similar. They both whirled around, and as the back of Shadow's neck tingled he whispered to her, "Can you see anything?" His own gaze swept across the empty street for any indication of whatever it was that he sensed.

She whispered back, "Not exactly…" She hesitated. When he glanced at her for further explanation, she continued, "I think I see something over there." She pointed for his reference, and his eyes trailed from her finger to the area she indicated. All he saw was a flicker of red light, and then it was gone. All was deathly quiet; neither of them dared to make a sound, although in Shadow's case it was so he could listen for any noises. She was probably too scared to talk.

After a while of standing in silence, he slowly inched closer to stand right beside her, nearly grazing her right arm. He could feel the fear radiating from her from where he stood, and he wondered if it was healthy for her skin to be like a block of ice. _Not even a vampire should be as cold as that._ He called quietly, "Shadowpaw." He wanted to know how she had sensed whatever it was before he could, and why. But she remained silent; she stared off into the distance, with her aura glowing white with fear, her face slightly pale and her hands trembling. She looked as if she had seen a ghost.

_This isn't a time to freeze in terror!_ He tried again. "Shadowpaw?" When she still didn't respond, he frowned and reached out to touch her arm to snap her out of it. When he did, though, she flinched and backed away, earning a deeper frown from the hedgehog. 'What…' He tried to take a step toward her, but her sudden scream made him freeze. Her chest rose and fell quickly with ragged breaths, and her knees trembled dangerously; it seemed like she was going to collapse. Thoroughly confused, he didn't have any warning before she suddenly yelled, "Get away!" Then, she closed her eyes and shoved him away, her actions so unexpected it caused him to stumble backwards as she pushed past him to run off down the street.

He barely steadied himself as he turned around to see her run blindly around a corner. His vampire instincts cursed her to Hell as he shouted, "Shadowpaw!"

'What the bloody hell is wrong with her?' He started to run after her, but then something flashed in the corner of his eye. 'What the –' He rotated on the spot to come face-to-face with…

_Her POV_

Pain.

Tears.

Red.

That was all she could comprehend as her feet took her to some unknown destination through the dark streets. Her breaths were short and sent stabs of cold pain through her chest, which only fueled her to run faster. She didn't know what was wrong with her. When she had been standing beside Shadow looking around for what was making her stomach do summersaults, she had spotted a pair of red eyes staring right at her. She had felt all of the heat drain from her body, and she had been frozen on the spot as something whispered in her ears. She couldn't tell who it was, because it seemed to echo around her, but she could barely understand its words that hissed through her mind. "_Run…danger…red…blood…_"

Her heart racing, her eyes flickered to her right only to see another pair of red eyes. They seemed to be everywhere. She gasped and screamed, but it seemed muffled in her mind as the eyes came closer to her. She backed away from them only to have it keep chasing her. She shoved it away in an attempt to stop it and yelled, "Get away!" Then, she had started to run, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see the eyes staring at her hungrily.

Now, she found that it was getting harder and harder to run. Something weighed down on her heavily, crushing her and trying to stop her. But she kept running away, too frightened that stopping would cause the eyes to catch up with her. Even as she opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of where she was going, a glowing pair of green ones stared back at her. Gasping, she closed her eyes and turned sharply, feeling a door smash open from her panicking force. Somehow, she traveled up the stairs without opening her eyes and fumbled with the doorknob to a bedroom before bursting into it and running to the window. She threw her hands onto the latch and pulled, but it wouldn't budge, and she kept working frantically to open it before a _thud _sounded throughout the house. She stopped, her hands frozen to the window, and she found her eyes involuntarily moving towards the open door.

_Thud…_

_Thud…_

_Thud…_

The aura around it was filled with a strange combination of reds and black and yellows, feeling anger and shame and triumph at the same time as it stalked towards her. She couldn't tell what it was; it towered over her a good foot taller, and eerie blue light filled the room. Its body seemed to be made of water suspended in the air, with those same emerald eyes staring at her angrily, and she could see a brain hovering in the liquid that formed its head. The creature stalked towards her, taking its time as it savored her fear while it approached her step-by-step.

She gasped and turned back to the window, her vigor returning as she continued her attempts to open the window to get away from the monster. She could feel its footsteps _thud_ in sync with her heart, making a symphony in her ears as she screamed, "_Open, you bloody window!_" She pounded on the glass, but old as it was it refused to break, and so she turned to her adversary that came closer with each second. Getting desperate, she swiped out at it with frustration, yelling, "Leave me _alone!_"

She looked on in horror as her claws went straight through its arm, the water separating temporarily before coming back together and reforming the appendage. It stopped its approach, however, to look in curiosity at its arm. It seemed surprised she had opposed it, and she took the opportunity to try again. She punched it repeatedly, trying desperately to destroy it completely, but only faint dents appeared on the surface of its_skin_ before they filled in and it grabbed her arm. Its grip was cold, as if the water itself was holding her, and she screamed and tried to rip out of its grip.

Surprisingly, she succeeded, her arm effortlessly slipping from the watery limb of the monster, but the ease with which it fell away made her in turn lose her balance and fall over. Her head banged against the windowsill behind her, and she crumpled to the ground, her vision slowly being overcome with darkness. As the shadows gripped her mind, she felt presences make themselves known nearby, but she was too weary to do anything. She suddenly needed sleep, so tired, consciousness slipping…

_His POV_

"Shadowpaw!" Shadow burst into the house where he felt quarreling auras, and he rushed up the stairs with the ghostly sensation following him close behind. He reached the top of the stairs and managed to take a step into the room before he was shocked into immobility. What he saw made his eyes widen in surprise. Some type of monster stood before him, its back turned to him as it shook violently. Its aura was laced red and black and blue with pain, guilt, and shame, and it took a moment for Shadow to find what caused it.

Shadowpaw lay crumpled on the ground, red trickling down the back of her head, but in her loss of consciousness her aura had flared up and attached itself to the creature's leg. As it slowly crawled upwards, the monster's aura weakened under its assault as the black aura flickered with several colors at once, so fast even Shadow couldn't comprehend them. He could only grasp the concept of one before it slipped away to be replaced by a handful of others, and soon he gave up trying to understand it. Whatever she was doing, it was hurting the creature, and it fell to its knees and held its head as it gave a bloodcurdling roar of pain.

"What…" He couldn't understand what was happening, but then the presence behind him floated forward and towards the monster. It was a small red ball of light, a little tail of sparks trailing behind it as it approached the fallen phantom.

When he had started to run after Shadowpaw, he had found the light flickering and dancing around in the air trying to get his attention. At first confused, and suspicious, a voice had reached out and spoken to him in his mind, explaining to him the situation. After hearing _her_ words, he had rushed after the trail left by the chase, and had been puzzled when they ran into the house.

The light then turned to him, and _her _voice came to his mind again. "_Your friend's aura is very strange indeed. It seems to be affecting his very significantly._" At his unspoken question directed with a stare, _she _continued, "_Her past is so close to his own; filled with betrayal and deceit, sorrow and grief, and it is bringing back…painful memories._"

He nodded, not speaking in case it broke the spell that seemed to hold the monster down. It – no, _he_ – was now on the floor with his hands over his hand to try to ward the aura away. His own had shrunken into himself to get away from Shadowpaw's, but hers was determined and kept at it. The colors were more definite now; Shadow could actually pick up what emotions were being broadcasted between the strange connection that branched from the two and their emotions. Their feelings were one now, both experiencing pain and regret, anger and hate, and both auras shuddered at the strength of the emotions combined.

"_His name is Chaos,_" the voice – _she_ – spoke again, "_and I am Tikal. We used to live here, before this village was built. We walked the earth when great monuments of glory and bravery were shown to praise the gods._" _She _floated towards Shadow, and suddenly visions flashed quickly before his eyes. Images of cities, huge civilizations that created temples and such and walked around wearing their golden jewelry proudly. He noticed how most of the animals walking by were echidnas, and then suddenly he saw _her_. She was a tanned echidna, with a gold headdress and necklace and a skirt that trailed behind her. It at first seemed as if he was experiencing a flashback, but then Tikal turned to him and stared right at him. She motioned towards the people walking around them, moving through them like ghosts and acting as if they weren't there.

"_My father led these people by creating wars, slowly absorbing other countries until he was all powerful._" She closed her eyes to hide the sadness growing in her cerulean orbs. "_But, he craved for more power, and he sought out the legend of the great power guarded by Chaos._" She waved her hand, and the scenery changed to a magnificent garden that surrounded a shrine, untouched by the hands of Time and Age. She turned towards the shrine and walked up to the top of the stairs, and Shadow followed to see a huge emerald sitting at the very top and center of the shrine. _So this shrine is dedicated to a rock?_

"_Chaos was, is, will be a part of the Master Emerald._" She approached the Emerald and gently touched it, her hand resting on it as if she was comforting a friend. A soft _ping_ing noise echoed throughout the area, and Shadow could see ripples in the water, as if it was raining. But, when he took a glance up at the sky, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Confused, he turned to Tikal as she continued explaining. "_I found this shrine many years ago, and I befriended him and his children._" Even as she spoke, little creatures that he recognized as Chao from legends he had heard as a child floated up to her and sat around or on the shrine, looking at her with wide eyes innocent and cute. "_I kept this secret, for I knew that if my father found out he would try to wield the power for himself. Alas,_" she shook her head sadly and sighed, "_my tries were in vain._

"_He soon found this shrine, and he attacked it with his army and trampled upon the poor creatures._" She turned to a chao that sat beside her arm, and she picked it up and smiled sweetly as it cooed at her. Then, her expression turned sad as she faced Shadow once more. "_He tried to take the Chaos Emeralds from him, but Chaos grew very angry and hurt from his children's pain. He took out his rage on my people, and so there was no trace left of their civilization._

"_His hatred towards my kind grew, as he realized that the same creatures that had befriended him had betrayed him in the end. He tried to destroy the rest of the echidnas, but I sacrificed myself to try to bring him into the pits of Hell with me. However, the gates would not open for either of us, and we were sent back to the world of the living as ghosts to find that centuries had passed and a village had been built over the shrine._" She put the chao back down on the Emerald and patted it on the head. "_I believe the reason we were sent away from Hell was because we had no reason to be there; Chaos would surely destroy the walls of Hell and make it collapse upon itself, and I was too innocent of a soul to be tainted by its fires. Two such opposite creatures, condemned of the same fate; to travel across the world, searching for peace._"

"Wait," he softly stopped her, finally finding his voice after so long. It sounded muffled to him, as if the illusion of the memory tried to silence things that didn't belong. Tikal turned to him, waiting for his question. He continued, "What does this have to do with Shadowpaw?"

She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with something unknown. "_Your friend has been betrayed by whom she had given her heart to; her father cast her out into the world as a slave after her mother died from disease. She believes it is her fault that her mother died, that she should have done something to stop it._"

Suddenly, they were out of the illusion and back into the real world, where Shadowpaw lay on the floor unconscious as Chaos writhed on the ground in pain. The very faint image of Tikal looked over at the monster and nodded towards him. "_Chaos believes that, if he hadn't been kind to me, that his children would have been spared. He wishes that he could give up his entire being if only to bring them back. That is what hurts him so badly; their pasts are different, and yet so alike._" She gave a short, bittersweet smile. "_It's much a case of 'déjà vu', so to speak._"

"I see…" He mulled over her words as he watched Chaos grow still. Then, the monster suddenly reared back his head and gave a final roar, filled with such anguish and uselessness that it made Shadow wince in sympathy. After the echo had died out, the water creature slowly stood up on his feet, and he stood there for a moment as if to make sure he was steady. Then, he took a shaky step forward, with another one right after, and made his way to Shadowpaw. Immediately, Shadow went to stop him, but Tikal told him, "_Let him go – he means no harm now._"

Reluctantly, the hedgehog stayed back, but his blood red eyes watched Chaos warily as he leaned over the resting feline. He faltered a little, as if unsure of what to do, before he put his head down to rest against her ear. His green eyes, the same color as the Emerald, seemed to dull slightly, almost as if he were closing them, and a strange hissing sound rose from his missing mouth. Then, he suddenly sunk over the feline, dripping down her body to form a puddle beneath her before it soaked into the cracks in the floorboards and disappearing. He was gone within seconds. Only the echo of his voice remained, the two words he had spoken remaining in the room as if unwilling to leave.

"_Thank…you…_"


	3. Fox in the Shadows

**Sorry it's taken so long! I kind of…died while I was writing this. The creative juices stopped flowing! (laughs) I'm starting to sound like DL! I need to take a vacation…**

**Btw, I know that Tails is in all reality eight (I mean, what the hell – I live with him!), but for the purpose of this story he is a **_**bit**_** older (ha, a bit…I'm funny), so don't complain or say I'm an idiot/n00b/super-typo-queen, because it's not true! Same with most of the other characters; I am changing their ages. You know what? I'll just put their ages right here! They shall be what is written here, unless I say otherwise:**

**Sonic 23**

**Tails (Appears) 13, (Actual Age) around 1000**

**Knuckles 27**

**Amy 17**

**Cream 10**

**Vanilla 35**

**Vector 30**

**Charmy (Appears) 10, (Actual Age) 400**

**Espio 28**

**Rouge (Appears) 25, (Actual Age) around 350**

**Blaze (Appears) 25, (Actual Age) around 330**

**Silver (Appears) 27, (Actual Age) around 420**

**Eggman 40**

**Jet 21**

**Wave 22**

**Storm 20**

**Sly (Appears) 30, (Actual Age) around 1500**

**Tikal & Chaos (have no age cuz they're already dead)**

**Spice 29**

**Shadow 23**

**Shadowpaw 20**

**'On the Run'**

**Genres: Horror (eh, in my opinion, cuz of the deaths; maybe it isn't…), Tragedy, Adventure/Action, Spiritual, Hurt/Comfort, Romance (eventually!), some Humor, etc.**

**Rated: 'M' for Violence, Suggestive Themes, Alcohol and Tobacco Use, Adult Content, Language, etc.**

**Chapter Three**

Fox in _the_ **Shadows**

_His POV_

When Shadowpaw awakened an hour later, she had been confused and wanted an explanation of what had happened; all that she said she remembered was someone saying _thank you_ and a strange feeling overcoming her. She had woken up and realized that all of her injuries (and that meant all) had disappeared and that he was waiting patiently for her. She had at first sat there and looked in awe at her arms that were free of scars for a while, which nearly made Shadow feel sorry for her amazement. After he roughly explained the events that unfolded, she suddenly fell into a strange silence, and he took it as a chance to get her out of the house. He wanted to get out of the village, and he had already wasted time waiting for her to wake up. They were lucky she had burst into an empty house; it wouldn't have gone well for them to wake up a family.

As they trudged on and finally exited the village, he noticed she was slowing down slightly. She seemed a bit fatigued, as if her energy was draining, and it took several minutes for him to figure out what it was that distressed her. She had turned into a vampire several days ago, and she had never really gotten her first taste of blood. In fact, it was surprising she had survived _this _long without it. He cursed how he could have forgotten such a crucial detail as that; he knew that, without blood, she wouldn't be able to keep herself alive, and all of his efforts would have been in vain. He had assumed that the instinct to get blood would have gotten to her eventually, but she didn't show any signs of it affecting her. _What, is she fighting it or something?_

"You need energy," he stated bluntly, knowing that _beating around the bush_ wouldn't help in a situation like this. He knew he had her attention when she turned her head to the left to stare at him with a look that clearly stated _no duh!_ He continued as if it didn't bother him, "There is a farm not too far off from here; I can smell it." He wrinkled his nose. _Oh, yeah, _he could smell it. It was _horrible, _too.

"I know," she replied smoothly, surprising him. "I have a nose, too." He took it as one of the moments where her vampirism took a hold of her actions. _She's so composed as a vampire… _'Makes me wonder how anyone could stand her when she _wasn't_ one.' She then looked back ahead of them, as if deciding not to take the _bait_ he laid out for her. _She's a real fighter, isn't she? __**You **__can't last a few minutes against your hunger._ 'Shut up,' he told it irritably, before glaring at the feline. Could she _be_ any more difficult?

"Before you say anything," she stopped him from sending a harsh response, "I know what you're implying."

'Then why doesn't she comply?' He shook his head slightly at her. "And…?"

"Well…"_And there goes her 'vampire instincts'. _Indeed, her aura turned a little pink with embarrassment, and she looked towards her right as if to examine the scenery. _Oh, yeah, __**smooth.**_

Sensing what was bothering her, he sighed and closed his eyes. "It's really not that hard," he explained, "once your instincts take over. Your _conscience_ should agree with me on that." His own _conscience_ smirked as she stayed silent, showing she was consulting said side. After a while, she scowled, signaling she had a disagreement with it, and he heard her mumble, "Bloody _conscience_ with its twisted mind…I swear, I oughtta…"

_Oughtta what? I dare her to try to harm it. I promise it'll be fun to watch, especially in some nice, wet mud or pudding. _Shadow rolled his eyes, not in the mood for its theatrics. He turned in the direction of the farm, and he heard the feline sigh in exasperation. He caught her mumbling, "You, too?" He had half a mind to ask her what she meant, but his imagination could practically tell him what she had been referring to. After all, _he _was a bloody vampire, _too._ _Heh, is that supposed to be a pun? 'Bloody vampire'?_ 'Aw, bloody he– just shut _up_.'

"Well?" He slowed down a bit, and then stopped completely. The feline hadn't moved from her spot. "Are you coming or not?"

He could feel her glare on his back, and he had to bite back a chuckle so as to not seem like the _bloody prick_ she always called him. She was still resisting the urge, even to the point of ruining her emotional state of mind just to push back the inevitable. She was a fighter, alright, but a _dumb_ one. He knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, though; personal experience said otherwise. Eventually, after a minute of silence had passed, he heard her sigh in frustration and her footsteps getting closer to where he was. Satisfied, he didn't bother to hide his smirk in either his aura or his face as he continued walking towards their new destination.

While they walked, he in front and she behind, Shadow pondered how she would react to her first _feeding_, as his _conscience_ would call it. In all honesty, he had been disgusted afterwards on his first night, but that was before he understood the concept of it all. It had seemed so wrong at the time, to steal someone's lifeblood without their consent, and to leave them lying on the floor in terror with a bite mark on their neck and a dizzy feeling. More often than not his victims fainted shortly before he either started or left, and so he had made sure they were in a relatively safe location before going on his merry way.

Hey, he broke into your house, paralyzed you with fear, and stole your blood; the least he could do is make sure you don't get killed by something else soon afterwards.

He stopped reminiscing when he heard something strange from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder at Shadowpaw to see her with her eyes closed and humming something to herself. For some reason, it sounded familiar to him, as if he had heard the song before. He slowed down his pace so that he stood beside her, but she seemed to sense his curiosity for she stopped and opened her eyes to stare back at him. She seemed a bit confused by his behavior. A while of silence sat between them, like some unwanted guest, before it was politely dismissed by Shadow's question.

"What was that?"

"Hm?" She tilted her head slightly, reminding him of a dog. He barely concealed his amusement, instead keeping his eyes trained on hers to find his answers. After a moment, she asked him, "What was _what?_" She honestly seemed to have no clue.

"_That,_" he tried to indicate to her, only serving to confuse her even more. He sighed and tried to explain, "You were humming something."

Still staring at him, she slowly nodded. "_Yeah…_it's what normal people do."

_But, we're not normal people, now, are we?_ 'Tell me about it.' He then coughed slightly (covering his mouth), mostly just to test if he had her attention (which he did) and also to conceal a laugh, and he asked her, "What were you humming?"

"…A _song._"

_Grah, she's being annoying on purpose!_

Shadow rolled his eyes. 'It was _your _idea for her to come along in the _first_ place!'

_Hey, I'm a part of you, alright? So, __**technically**__** you**__ made the decision. You can't try to pin the blame on me!_

'Yes, I can.'

_Nuh-uh!_

'Yes, I _can._'

_Nuh-uh!_

'I am _not_ going to fight like a _three-year-old_ with you!' He was starting to get really irritated, with both the feline and his _conscience._ He wished he could tie both of them up and toss them over the side of a cliff, but, alas, he was unable to. Instead, he fumed while the feline continued walking beside him.

_Besides, I __**know **__you couldn't stand to be without me! You'd have no friends to give you good advice – _

'You _aren't _my friend, and you _don't _give me good advice.'

_Aww, stop being such a sourpuss! I mean, __**come on;**__ I've hooked you up with a hot girl! Where's the love?_

'I'm not – she isn't – you're – _argh!_' He held his forehead with one hand and sighed wearily. 'God help me…'

_Since when did __**you **__become religious?_

'_Shut up!_'

_Her POV_

It was strange walking beside Shadow when he was consulting his _other side._ Shadowpaw could just _feel_ the irritation radiating off of him. Some of it was directed towards her, but _most _of it was towards some unknown entity of whom she had a hunch about. She watched the hedgehog massage his temple with one hand and sigh, and she couldn't help but smile. 'Seems like he's having trouble, huh?'

_Ya got __**that **__right! It's probably telling him to get that stick out of his ass!_

She had to cover her mouth with her hand and turn away so she wouldn't start giggling, and she felt Shadow's attention pin onto her. She knew he had turned his head to look at her, but she just couldn't help it when she had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing.

Her _other side_, however, was now full throttle with laughter, _rolling around _on the proverbial _ground_ in her mind and holding its stomach. That didn't help Shadowpaw much, and so she tried to scold it and tell it to stop. It ignored her, though, and soon small snickers escaped her. That opened the floodgate, however, and she burst out laughing beside the confused hedgehog, stopping to hold her stomach as her delight rang up towards the dark, cloudy sky that hid the treacherous moon refusing to show itself to them. It threatened to rain again, but that didn't put a damper on the feline's mood as she continued to express her amusement to no one.

_I wonder if he's got that stick shoved up his ass anymore!_

_That_ made her laugh even harder. She bent forward as she wheezed, laughing so hard that _tears_ were brought to her eyes. As her vision blurred to the point where she couldn't see, she heard Shadow ask rather irritably, "What the bloody hell are _you _laughing at?" His annoyance and frustration was clear in his voice, only fueling her laughter as she tried not to keel over and _die_ from lack of oxygen. She begged herself to stop, _it really wasn't __**that **__funny,_ but it took the longest time to calm down. She didn't know why, but that hedgehog was just…so…damn…_funny!_

'If I die laughing,' she thought with mock anger, 'it's _his_ bloody fault, dammit!'

_His POV_

He really didn't see what was so funny; she suddenly had her aura filled with a strange yellow glow, and then she made a noise that sounded like she was choking on something. He turned to look at her, but then she turned away some more. He started getting annoyed at her antics, but then he was puzzled when she burst out laughing. His comment only seemed to make her laugh harder, and so he was left confused as her eyes began to get wet with tears of mirth. They had stopped walking, and so they stood there as the feline laughed her heart out.

It took the longest time for her to stop. So long, in fact, that Shadow began to get annoyed. He was going to walk over there and shake her to _snap her out of it_, but then she finally took in a deep breath and wiped away a few stray tears from her eyes. Still snickering (since he really couldn't call it giggling) at him, she choked out, "How far's that stick?"

And so, he was left confused once more as she kept laughing. 'Dammit!' He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He was getting frustrated by her. 'I'm going to strangle her!'

_Hey, leave the gal alone!_ He just scowled at his other side, but then it said, _this is probably the best laugh she's ever had in her entire life._ After a moment of thinking, he took those words into consideration as the feline calmed down once more. Since she was running out of air, she couldn't continue laughing, and so it took less time to get her to stand straight and normal. She flattened the crinkles in her clothes and stretched her arms up over her head as if she was exercising, and then she sighed and nearly purred, "That felt good…"

Shadow just stared at her for a while longer, examining the yellow mingling with a strange gold color in her aura. He frowned slightly. What were those golden wisps? 'I've never seen that before…'

"So," he blinked as she glanced at him while putting her hands behind her head, "let's say we keep walking to that farm over there." She jerked her head in the direction she spoke of, a small grin still housing itself on her face. A new feeling of orange determination seemed to fuel her aura now, and it made Shadow feel a bit rejuvenated as well. She was…_pleasant_… company when she wasn't being either miserable or annoying.

Then, an idea to keep her spirits up was presented to him by his other side. He smirked, to which the feline responded by raising an eyebrow, and he spoke aloud his proposition, "How about we make it a race?" His eyes twinkled with mischief and barely contained excitement at the idea. He hadn't done something like this in a long, _long _while. Of course, he hadn't traveled with anyone for a long time, either. This was a perfect time to stretch his neglected muscles and fully release his vampire instincts.

Besides, he wanted a chance to show off.

"A race?" She seemed to consider the idea as she looked up at the stars, her mouth set in a slender thoughtful frown. Whether she thought it was a good idea or not, though, something crimson-colored flashed in her amber eyes that showed her _other side _was as eager as he was. After a moment, her frown became a smirk, and her eyes alighted on his once more as she nodded. "Alright," she accepted, "let's race!"

He smirked. 'This is going to be fun!'

_Her POV_

Shadowpaw didn't realize it initially, but as they both faced the farm so the wind was blowing in their faces, she noticed something _strange _about his aura. It seemed that something black was wrapping itself around him, traveling up from his feet and cloaking him slightly. She didn't even get a chance to ponder before suddenly Shadow turned to her and tossed her his gloves. At first confused, her eyes widened as she witnessed his vampire features fully awakening.

The hand that had thrown the gloves now had claws, like knives, as did his feet (which, now that I mention it, aren't wearing shoes anymore). The red stripes on his head and arms and legs looked gnarled and distorted, like blood smoke that curled in the shadows, as his spikes seemed to become even more bent and twisted. In her amazement, it wasn't until they snapped out and unfurled that she noticed them, sitting on his back like a pair of deadly blades. _Wings _were located right in between his shoulder blades, leathery and a slightly lighter shade than his fur. (Just think of that 'Demon Shadow' that someone on DA drew except with wings; go search it or something) In all of his vampire-y glory, he looked ready to take to the skies and fly beyond the horizon. And, after giving her a disturbing smirk, he did just that; he crouched down slightly before pushing off of the ground with such strength and force that she felt a breeze blow her fur back.

He rose in the air, and then he stopped to hover about seven or eight yards above ground level so he could gaze down at her with his sinister-looking bloody orbs. His aura was so overwhelming with its different dark shades of black and red that the only way to distinguish him from the black abyss above him was to look for the absence of stars. Then, with a dark chuckle, he turned to the farm and shot off like an arrow, tearing through the night like a hot knife through butter.

It took her a moment to return to reality as she watched him soaring off towards the farm, blanketed by darkness, but then her senses returned to her as her _other side _yelled, _hey! You guys are racing, moron, and he's ahead! _Pocketing the gloves with a scowl, she ran after the disappearing speck while shouting, "_Hey, _that's not _fair! _You didn't tell me you could _fly!_" Sulking as she ran, she grumbled to herself about _cheating hedgehogs_ and _men's egos_ and such, until the voice's words put an end to her complaining.

_When __**you **__figure it out, you'll be able to do that, too._ Shadowpaw's eyes widened. She whispered aloud, "Really?" A mental nod from the voice made her grin as she tried to pick up speed. When she looked up and scowled at how far ahead Shadow was, she heard it say, _but I __**can **__help you with running. Close your eyes._

Shadowpaw nearly tripped. "Say _what?_ You want me to just stop _running _in the middle of a _forest_ and –"

_Trust me! Just do it, but __**don't **__stop running._

Although extremely doubtful and a bit worried that she would run into a tree, she relented when the voice kept shouting at her and closed her eyes. As soon as her vision disappeared, she felt the wind pick up around her, and something seemed to stir in the pit of her stomach that traveled like a cool wave down through her legs. But, as they tingled and the cold faded away, her muscles felt as if they were on fire, with so much energy making her feet start to throb almost painfully. Then, it told her to open her eyes just as she pushed off heavily from the ground.

She saw the world around her suddenly warp and run like wet paint as she rushed through the air, her feet not even touching the ground. She only alighted several seconds after her first launch, and then it was only for a tap before she was in the air again. Her breath nearly taken from her, she stared around her in amazement as she flew like a bird through the trees, not even coming close to hitting one although she did reach out to catch a leaf from a branch. She was even _more_ amazed that she _could _catch it, and the voice chuckled at her and told her, _this is just a small burst of energy; when you get more accustomed to your vampire instincts, more power is to come._

The feline grinned like a small child at the feeling of flight, and she could only imagine what Shadow must feel like doing the real thing. 'I wonder how _he _was when he first learned of this,' she thought to herself, and she let a bit of laughter slip from her lips as she relished the feeling of power and energy. As quickly as it came, though, it started to deplete, and she nearly cried out in surprise and anguish before she asked what _the bloody hell_ was wrong.

_Can't you feel it? _It didn't say what, but after she got over the joy and sorrow of her power coming and going, she noticed a presence she didn't recognize. It wasn't Shadow's, for she could tell the difference between his and a stranger's now. She actually felt a bit proud of that, but then she remembered that it was either him or someone else so it was _easier _to tell, and she was sobered once more. 'Can I ever feel proud of myself,' she asked no one, but the voice laughed and replied, _believe me, better things are to come, and _then _you can gloat._

Suddenly, with her speed already depleted and running normally now, she smacked into something hard yet fluffy, and her vision swam with varying shades of gray and orange as she stumbled backwards in surprise. She vaguely heard a small _oomph_ from whatever she bumped into, and after her mind stopped tumbling and she shook her head to clear it, she looked before her to be amazed. A small orange fox boy sat down on the ground, cradling his head and moaning. He was a youngster, with a soft and fuzzy belly, but he had to be at least ten or so. She could feel his heartbeat fluttering dangerously fast, as well as his breathing, signaling that he had just been running. But, was it from something? Or _to _something?

Then, she felt a surge of electricity suddenly engulf her, at the same time that something burst from the greenery. The thing launched itself at her, but before it could reach her it suddenly stopped in midair, bouncing back as if hitting a force field. She could feel the blow herself, although not injured by it, and the force of it shook her a bit. Even as it fell, several other figures came out from the brush and surrounded her and the fox-boy, and she looked around warily as she wondered what was going on. _Obviously, I think the answer is _from _something… _Above her, the trees wavered in a ghastly, chilly wind which parted their branches like curtains to let the moonlight flow down upon them in staggering flashes. She looked over to the fox-boy and, as she was going to ask him if he was alright, her mouth dropped in surprise and awe.

'Oh my God! Is that…?'

_A kitsune kit…_ The voice was just as amazed as she was, and she stared at his two tails twirling behind him before noting that he had fallen unconscious. Cursing her moody luck, (it lets her see an _amazing_ sight one moment and then makes him completely _useless_ the next) she turned back to the creatures surrounding her to see that there was, indeed, something there between her and them that seemed to be protecting her and the fox. _A dab of magic? Well, _I _didn't do anything, unless…_ Shadowpaw caught the unfinished thought and looked at the fox again. '_He _did it? But, he's only a child!'

_Yes, but he _is _also a kitsune; they have a strange connection to power and have a nearly unlimited supply of it. The only way to stop a kitsune is to tire out its body, for they will not stop unless their _physical body _can't take it anymore. And, when they reach their limits, they – _

'Faint,' she sighed, looking at the kitsune. The shield he had erected stood firm, even with those creatures pounding against it and him unconscious, and she wondered how he could have done such a thing, being so small like that. Then, she asked the voice, 'So, he has two tails – that means he's just a little over a thousand years old?'

_Yes, or just turned a thousand, _it replied, and as Shadowpaw's amazement grew it continued, _kitsunes grow at a slower pace than most other creatures do, being the opposite of werewolves who seem to mature quite swiftly – speaking of which, _they both returned their attention to the strange creatures, and the feline frowned and spoke aloud, "You mean to tell me these are _werewolves?_"

_Well, in a way, yes. _She watched as another one smashed into the shield, only to be deflected off with a strange blue glow. _These are various forms of were-creatures, even hybrids of two different weres – I believe it is a mixed group. There _is _such thing as were-cats, for example. Ooh, there's one there, _it seemed to point it out with a flicker of energy, like a child picking their favorite toy from the shelf of a store. _I believe that you've always wanted to see one of those – and, since _you _want to, _I _want to!_ Another creature rammed the shield. _Whoops, there goes another were-cat. My, they _are_ a bunch of idiots. It must not be the full moon yet._

'What does the _moon_ have to do with anything?'

_Well, it has nothing to do with their intelligence; I just like to poke fun at them._ It laughed, and Shadowpaw scowled and grumbled, 'But…?' The voice sighed and grumbled about _impatience_ before going on, _but, the full moon is the source of their power; they are weaker when the moon isn't in the sky, and visa versa. Right now, it is almost the full moon, so perhaps instinct has taken over them tonight…_ It sounded doubtful, though, as if it wasn't that likely. As if there was some outside force messing with the were-creatures' minds…

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" Shadowpaw motioned towards the kitsune, the shield, and the group of monsters around them. "We have been trapped in a bubble that doesn't let us out or them in, the boy that _made _it is snoring over there, and the creatures out there want to tear us limb from limb. Any bright ideas?"

The voice laughed at her sarcasm and wording. _I say we let our _bodyguard _come and take care of this _for _us. After all, he wants us alive, right?_

Shadowpaw grumbled about having to be _saved _like a _damsel in distress, _but she knew that was her only option. Unless fox-boy over there woke up, they wouldn't be going anywhere.

'Hurry up and get here, you bloody prick!'

_His POV_

'Shit…'

Shadow flew over the canopy of the forest, his eyes scanning for the strange fluctuations of power he felt coming from within. He didn't know what is was that gave off such an aura, but he_ did _know that he couldn't find Shadowpaw _anywhere. _'Where the bloody hell has she run off to?' He was getting agitated. 'She's so troublesome, damn girl…I look away for _one second_, and she –'

_Oh, stop whining and keep searching, you lazy git – ooh! _The voice made his head swivel in a different direction as a flash of blue caught his eyes. _There! She's there, I just know it!_ And he was right, for the feline's familiar aura was there, shining with a scarlet sarcasm and green uneasiness combined with some other strange auras to make a sickly color that reminded him of unpleasant things. He quickly turned on a dime and soared there with speed that could match the eastern winds, finally arriving above the semi-clearing as he hovered to examine the situation below. He saw his charge standing uncertainly, enveloped in blue glowing energy that had a string connected to a small fox beside her. His eyes widened in surprise as he scanned the stranger's aura. 'A kitsune? Out here?' _What are the odds? Now you know _two _kitsunes. Lucky you._

Then, her eyes snapped up to look at him, and she made a face that just screamed _finally!_ He sighed, returning her with a questioning gaze, and she sighed as if to say _I'll explain later. _He nodded and, after searching carefully, found the perfect landing area and alighted without making a sound. It was only when his aura began to solidify and whip around him so that even a field mouse could see it before the were-creatures turned and noticed he was there. He smirked in all of his wicked-looking glory and hissed in an ancient vampiric language, "_Leave her be; she's __**mine.**_"

Whether they understood him or not, they were frightened by his tone and sudden appearance, and so they all turned and scampered off with whimpers and hisses, except for one blue were-creature which stood its ground and slowly raised its body to stand on its hind legs. With closer inspection, he saw that it was a combination between a werewolf and a hedgehog; poor thing was a werewolf-hog, and the twisted combination of the DNA must have nearly destroyed its conscious mind but not its intelligence. Its sharp green eyes were like two flat coins of jade that had dulled and lost its shine, and Shadow gritted his teeth and tried to control his vampire instincts which wanted to rip its throat out. But he said no, for if he could avoid confrontations he would, unless it attacked him first. _Oh, come on, you wuss! You gonna just let the bloody thing get away?! Here's your chance!_

Unfortunately for Shadow, his _other side _got its wish: the blue werewolf-hog snarled and leapt at him, and he easily danced out of his reach, his claws making a _shing _sound as they fended off his opponent's own. As they both leapt backwards so there was some room between them, he smirked and his _vampire_ side got to say through his mouth, "Is that _all_ you've got, _mortal?_"

The werewolf-hog just grinned back horribly, and they both leapt at each other to slice at their throats once more.

_Her POV_

Shadowpaw watched with wide eyes as they fought viciously, like _wolves_ (ha, _pun_) trying to rip the other _apart._ _Wow, they're really going _at _it!_ She nodded in agreement to her _other_, wondering how someone could possibly keep up with each strike and block and dodge that they were weaving into an intricate pattern of battle that just _astounded_ her. And that was _only_ the _physical_ reactions; she could also see their _auras_ mingling with each other in a _fizzle_ of sparks that hissed angrily like two cobras _lashing_ out at each other. So caught up in this display she was that she did not notice until she felt his aura pulse in alarm that the fox-boy – _kitsune_ – had awoken once more. She looked over to the little guy to see his eyes huge as saucers while he gaped at the battle happening outside of their little _bubble_. After a moment, though, he seemed to realize something, and he got off of his tails to stand up and yelped, "No, Sonic!"

The two warring creatures outside of their _force field_ got into a deadlock with their claws before the blue one took the time to glance over to them, its blank green eyes examining them like slabs of meat. The fox, however, excitedly waved his arms and shouted at it, "Stop, Sonic! Look, it's me!"

"Kid!" _God, he's _hopeless She agreed again (_two_ times in a _row?_ Wow, Hell must be about ready to freeze over!) and grabbed his arm to pull him to her side as Shadow took the opportunity to get the upper-hand by slicing it with one hand across the face and punched the werewolf-hog with the other, causing him to fly backwards into a tree trunk with a sickening _crack!_ Shadowpaw scowled at the kitsune and asked him, "What the _hell_ are you _doing,_ yelling at a _were-creature_ as _twisted_ as _that?_"

"B…but you don't _understand!_" The fox-boy choked out as tears started to stream down his face, "That's…th-that's Sonic! That's my _brother!_"

As her eyes widened, he jerked out of her grip and ran out of the protection of the force field, _amazingly_ still keeping it up as he charged to come to the _aide_ of his _brother._ Unfortunately, the werewolf-hog's mind was _so_ far _gone_ that when he came, it _smacked_ him _hard_ against its arm and caused him to _crack_ his head against bark before sliding down the tree, still conscious but head down on his chest. His powers had cushioned it all enough, but the poor guy's heart looked broken as he cried silently and his fur became wet with tears. After that, though, the were-creature suddenly froze as it stared at the fox, seemingly just starting to come to its senses, and pale jade eyes deepened into sorrowful emeralds filled with pain and regret. Its gaze lingered on the boy, but then it finally stood up and gave a mournful howl to the moon like an apology to _Her Majesty_ of the sky and its dear kitsune friend before lowering onto four-paws and running out of the clearing, disappearing behind a bush in the blink of an eye.


End file.
